Spring/summer nail polish!

Nail polish is (another) addiction, so here are my spring/summer choices!

This is a cute mini case that I got last year from sephora, in order to store my nail polish collection. Since then, it has overgrown the little case so I currently keep my summer/spring ones in it. When fall comes, I'll switch them over and put my fall/winter ones in it, and so on.

As for brands, I was not favoring one over another but lately I'm starting to love Opi nail polishes. The sad thing is that here, Sephora sells them at twice the price they're sold in the USA. Even online stores, like beautybay etc sell them a bit on the pricey side, so I buy mine (as well as China Glaze) on eBay.

The reason I like them is the wide brush, the color selection and the consistency that's (usually) very nice.

But, enough talking, let's see some nail candy!

Names from left to right order on all photos.

Glitter/metallics etc, just four of them:

• OPI Pirouette my Whistle (NYC Ballet collection, LE). My latest and more precious aquisition, I just love the silver glitter, it's in various sizes and especially over light shades of nail polish the result is simply gorgeous, like fairy/princess/mermaid nails, just unreal. It is also work appropriate because it's monochromatic and (almost) subtle. Every time I wear this I got many compliments!
• Erre Due exclusive #80. It has a very fine, light peachy/pink shimmer, very subtle and discreet.
• Mac Immortal Gold (Posh Paradise collection, LE). This was purchased on the fly, on a Saturday morning that I was preparing to go to a wedding and realized that i didn't have a gold nail polish to match my outfit (well, this is a crisis that only a woman understands, lol!). I remembered having seen this shade in my local Mac store, so I gave them a call, it was still available and rushed over to get it). It's a pretty true gold color, it doesn't lean green nor warm, it's in the middle.
• China Glaze Snow Globe (Let it Snow collection, LE). This one has very pretty multicolored glitter in various sizes and I got it in lieu of another LE nail polish, from Mac, the Unconditionally Fabulous. It was my first glitter nail polish and I wasn't sure I was going to actually wear it, so the €15 price point of the Mac one seemed too steep to me.

Blues:

Opi I Have a Herring Problem (Holland collection, LE). It is a muted midtone blue with a green hint and very fine gold and silver shimmer, very pretty and complex.

Erre Due last minute #69. Well, I doesn't get any bluer than this, lol! Very summery medium sky blue, it has a fun and happy vibe!

Greens:

• Erre Due exclusive #120. A milky, pale yellow, lovely shade but it takes 3 layers to have a uniform result.
• Erre Due exclusive #154. It's a frosty light green, very fresh and spring appropriate.
• Korres Vert Amande #201. I love this color, it's a gorgeous milky mint. I don't love the consistency though, but it's still managble.
• Opi Thanks a Windmillion (Holland collection, LE). This one is on the edges of the current mint trend but in a more milky, mutted way. One of my top favorites!
• Mac Ocean Dip (Surf Baby collection, LE). Oh yeah baby, teal all the way! I hardly wore anything else last summer!

Coral/peach etc:

• Opi Gouda Gouda Two Shoes (Holland collection, LE). I never though I would buy such a color, but I was drawn by it's salmon/pink/brown shade with fine gold shimmer! It's very lady like but with a twist and can be worn no matter the season.
• Elf Mango Madness. I got this along with 2-3 other shades from Elf, last year, and I hated all of them except this one. It's like the perfect coral red, I love it!
• Mac Play Day (Vera collection, LE). Ever since I first read about the Vera collection I knew I had to have this color. It's milky, pale peach shade is adorable, although it takes 3 layers to achieve maximum opacity.
• Erre Due exclusive #10. Very light cream/peach, kind of mannequin nails.

Pinks/reds:

• Seventeen Super Fast #35. Oldie but goodie, a mutted, dusty pink, lovely!
• Opi Pink Friday (Nicki Minaj collection, LE). I hate this one. It's a light, bright, almost bubblegum pink and although it should look ok on my skin tone, the result is totally fake, I call it "the bimbo effect", lol! Application wise, it is a nightmare! Thick, goopy, and it still takes 3 layers to (not) achieve opacity! I keep trying, to make it work, but the result is like a used pink bubblegum stuck on my nails! Gross!
• Opi My Address is Hollywood (Touring America collection, LE). I cal this one the grown up pink, it's dusty and has fine golden shimmer. It's a no brainiac desicion, it goes with everything!
• Opi You Callin' Me A Lyre (NYC Ballet collection, LE). It's a semi transparent, light pink, "my nails but better" and I love it as a base for French manicure. It is spectacular with the Pirrouette My Whistle glitter polish on top, so elegant and girly and out of this world!
• Erre Due last minute #08. My only red! It's a cool toned bright fuschia/red that spices up any outfit.

If you're still reading, I feel the need to congratulate you of surviving this looong post!

And talking of nail polishes, here's my current mani!

P.S. Any suggestions for a red nail polish?

Nails: Candy Apple Festive Red!

I' ve already told you how much I love the China Glaze Snow Globe glitter nail polish and I've been layering this on top of various nail lacquers (HERE you can see it on its own) and the most festive combination so far  is this one:

I've used one layer of the Erre Due Last Minute nail polish in #08.
It's a red color a tiny bit on the cooler side and that side becomes more apparent when I use two layers of it. When I use one layer (like in the photo) it's like a candied red apple, very fresh and pretty.
On top I used one layer of the China Glaze Snow Globe nail polish.

Here's a close up, please bare in mind that I'm a total beginner in manicure so my nails are not in the optimal condition for a photo, but I wanted to share this combination with you!

PS: If you have thin, soft nails (like mine), a good idea is to try the Erre Due "Hard Attack" nail strengthener.
I got it on a whim 6 months ago (I usually purchased the Mavala one) but I'm really happy with this, I use it twice a week and my nails don't brake and don't split anymore.

What's your favorite festive nail polish/combo?

Mac Holiday Collection: Part 2

Well, as the killer returns to the crime scene (LOL), I returned to my local Mac to get a few more things and also to get 1-2 items from the permanent collections using the 30% off card from the Glamour magazine.

First thing first: I wanted to buy the Uncoditionally Fabulous nail polish from the Glitter and Ice collection from the day I saw the first swatches online. But, at €15, it seemed quite expensive to me since I hardly ever wear glitter nail polish. So, instead of buying it, I decided to order the China Glaze Snow Globe, because a lot of people said that it was very similar. I got it for €5 (shipping included) on e-bay and, I've been wearing this since I received it (5 days ago) because... I just love it! I wear one coat, over a semi-transparent pinkish-beige base, and I named this combo the snow princess manicure, it's sooo freaking fairytale like!

Unfortunatelly the picture doesn't do it any justice, because, in real life, as I move my hands, the light catches all the different colors and they sparkle sooo beautifully! I was also impressed that only with one coat, the distribution of glitter is even all over my nails, there are no gaps, etc.

From Mac, first of all I got a few lip products:

Whirls & Twirls lipstick (LE, Glitter and Ice collection). I picked this one because I'm afraid of nude lipsticks and this one, while being almost nude, it has a pinkish tone and a little shimmer, so, it is perfect for the days when I want to keep my lips discreet (with a twist!).

Pleasure Principle dazzleglass (LE, Glitter and Ice collection). I don't have any dazzleglasses but I decided to get this one because it's a lot like the glitter nail polish in a dazzleglass! Love it!

Love Alert dazzleglass. After seeing swatches of it online I loved the strawberry pink shade. It is also part of the Glitter and Ice collection but since it is also in the permanent line, I decided to get it from the permanent line, because of the 30% off with the Glamour card and because I can back to Mac this one.

Here are the three of them together: Pleasure Principle, Love Alert, Whirls & Twirls.

One thing I really needed was a warm blush. I came to this conclusion after looking at my blushes and realized that they all leaned to the pink/raspberry/plum categories. So, after some online searching I had narrowed the list to 2-3 shades and after swatching them in store, I decided to get Sunbasque. Mac describes this as "gilded peach with pearl" (huh???) but in real life it is like a peachy-rose-bronze, really pretty. I also realized that the sheertone shimmer is my favorite finish (next to the satin) because of the discreet and totally wearable shimmer that gives my cheeks a little pizzazz in the quick, without the need to use any other product on top. I used my mac 187 brush, it's a pair made in heaven!

On the left I swatched it with my finger and then I blended it out on the right part.

Last thing I got was the Make it Perfect Brush Kit / Special Edition (€56 - Ice Parade Collection), I just couldn't resist it because I already have 3 of them in ful size and I love them (168-239-217) and the mini version with the sparkling handles is totally adorable (LOL) and travel friendly! The kit has five brushes totally:

• 167 SE blush/powder brush
• 168 SE angled contour brush
• 239 SE eye shader brush
• 217 SE blending brush
• 212 SE flat definer brush 

After washing them, I was really impressed with the softness of the bristles (not being handmade etc).

They come in this pouch, I don't like it very much but the plastic is of good quality, really sturdy.

I also took some photos in comparison to my full size ones (on the right), you will notice that there are minor differences, but I haven't tried them as yet so I can't tell if they will affect the actual performance (probably not).

The 217

The 239

The 168

All of them together

PS: have you managed to find here in Greece the Let's Skate painpot, Winterized eyeshadow and Snow Globe powder? I can't find them anywhere and the mac assistants don't have a clue if and when they will be available. I've also emailed mac but I haven't heard from the as yet...